Annihilators: Earthfall #2Review

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The two teams clash while the real enemy plots.

By Jesse Schedeen

There's a certain formula almost every mash-up book of this type follows. The two opposing teams meet, have a misunderstanding, clash for a while, and then put aside their differences to confront a common foe. Annihilators: Earthfall isn't doing much to break outside these boundaries. There's even a sense that the Annihilators have been quietly nerfed so as not to embarrass the Avengers in battle. Despite this, issue #2 is a reasonably fun read. The buddy cop-style pairing of Quasar and Spider-Man alone makes it all worthwhile. And the ending helps bring new life into the mini-series as well. A last-minute reveal introduces an old character with a cool new twist. No doubt this book will pick up considerably once the "confronting a common foe" phase of the crossover begins.

The art, unfortunately, is a little too wonky to effectively convey the carnage. Tan Eng Huat's layouts are as dynamic and cinematic as ever. It's the finer details of his figure work that prove problematic. Aside from the generally elfin proportions of his characters, Huat struggles with a number of familiar shapes, like Wolverine's mask and Spider-Man's eyes. Meanwhile, larger characters like Thing and Red Hulk vary wildly in size from panel to panel.

One area this series continues to excel in is the Rocket Raccoon/Groot backup. Though criminally shortened compared to the previous series, this adventure packs in all the comedy, frantic action, and cosmic hijinks readers could hope for. And Timothy Green's art ties it all together in a very attractive package.